Give up your cars and take a ride through North Dakota in June

Give up your cars and join in this fun ride through North Dakota.

People from all over the country will be gathering in Kenmare the third weekend in June to leave their cars behind and hit the open road.

The Bike the Border Bicycle Tour, which will be held June 20-22, is entering its fourth year and has been growing steadily in popularity. Barb Otto of Mohall, chairwoman of Bike the Border, has been involved in the tour since its inception in the fall of 2004. Although a three-day bicycle tour covering around 160 miles might seem like the sort of thing only a seasoned athelete would want to try, Otto points to herself as a prime example that anybody can successfully ride in the tour from beginning to end.

%u201CI was a non-rider when this started, and I got a bike and did it the first year,%u201D Otto said. %u201CAnd if I can do it at the age of 50, anyone can do it.%u201D

The tour is not a race, but a friendly, family-oriented biking journey through the heart of North Dakota that encourages riders to go at their own pace and stop along the way if something interests them. To emphasize the point that literally anyone can ride in the tour, Otto said that last year the youngest rider was 8 while the oldest was 70, and the average age of the riders was 45.

Before she had heard about the idea of a bike tour, Otto had never considered riding as something she would do. But hindsight is always 20/20, and she now realizes that North Dakota has always been a perfect venue for this sort of activity.

%u201CIt%u2019s so obvious, you know? We have wide open spaces and great roads and great communities,%u201D she said. %u201CSo it%u2019s been good.%u201D

The tour covers anywhere from 50 to 75 miles each day, and is about 160 miles long this year. To ensure a relaxed atmosphere for everyone during the tour, rest stops are taken every 10 miles or so. This provides a break for riders who need to a chance to catch their breath, while other riders can forge ahead on their own if they want a more strenuous pace.

The route and the cities vary every year, with the one constant being that all of the roads on the route are paved. In the past, towns used for the overnight stops included Mohall, Kenmare, Bowbells, Sherwood, Upham and Lansford.

The tour is starting out in Kenmare this year, the first time it hasn%u2019t begun in Mohall. On the first day, the tour winds from Kenmare to Bowbells, then stops for the night in Stanley. On the second day, it will leave Stanley, go through Tioga and then end up in Powers Lake. For the final day, the tour will leave Powers Lake before ending back in Kenmare.

Although some tour participants spend their nights in motels or campers hauled by family or friends, most end up camping in a tent. A trailer provided by Bike the Border that also has portable shower facilities carries the camping equipment for all the riders who don%u2019t have any other means of transporting their gear.

The deadline for registration is June 10, although Otto says they accept applicants after that date if there are still openings. Registering for the full tour costs $75 for adults and $50 for children, or $200 for a family of three or more. For those who wish to ride only one or two of the days, the cost is $25 per day.

To register or find other information about the tour, go to the Web site (http://www.biketheborder.com/), send an e-mail to biketheborder@yahoo.com or call Barb Otto at 756-6298.

Word about the tour must be getting out, because it keeps growing every year. Otto said they had 78 riders last year, the most ever, and they are a little ahead of that pace so far this year.

For those who might be hesitant to give up their car for a bike, even if only for a day or two, Otto says they won%u2019t regret their decision once they try it.

%u201CJust don%u2019t be scared to try it,%u201D she said. %u201CWe%u2019re not experts by any means, and most of us ... don%u2019t have the most expensive bikes, but we have a really good time.%u201D

An undertaking with this many participants needs a lot of volunteers to make it work. Rory Schell, one of the owners of Val%u2019s Cyclery in Minot, has been helping since the very first year. Schell volunteers his mechanical skills during the tour by driving back and forth on the road during the day starting at 6 a.m. and fixing any bikes that break down. All the riders have to pay for are any parts that are needed.

Around 4 p.m., he opens up a makeshift bike shop and repairs or tunes bikes at his standard rates. He also sells biking-related items such as water bottles.

Schell says the system works exceptionally well, due in no small part to the riders.

%u201CThe thing is, the people that ride the bikes, they cooperate so well. They%u2019re out there having fun and they%u2019re patient,%u201D Schell said. %u201CSometimes you get two flats at one time and they%u2019re four miles apart ... and they wait patiently, and they%u2019re really good (about it). It makes it a lot more fun.%u201D

The relaxed nature of the tour gives riders a chance to really enjoy the beautiful North Dakota countryside, Schell said. Along with the wonderful view, he said, it%u2019s the local hospitality that really makes Bike the Border such a wonderful event.

He noted that riders will give free tubes or even free wheels, which can cost $40, to other riders who need them. He also mentioned one year in Bowbells when residents had signs up offering riders the use of showers in their homes while they were away at work. There were even candy dishes put out to give the riders an extra treat before they left. It%u2019s generosity like that people will only find in North Dakota.

%u201CYou%u2019re out there on the side of the road and need a helping hand, people will help you. If you have a problem, and you knock on a farmer%u2019s door, he%u2019ll help you. It%u2019s different than most (other) places, you know?%u201D he said. %u201CIt%u2019s unbelivable how if you need assistance, all the riders will take care of each other.%u201D

Give up your cars and join in this fun ride through North Dakota.

People from all over the country will be gathering in Kenmare the third weekend in June to leave their cars behind and hit the open road.

The Bike the Border Bicycle Tour, which will be held June 20-22, is entering its fourth year and has been growing steadily in popularity. Barb Otto of Mohall, chairwoman of Bike the Border, has been involved in the tour since its inception in the fall of 2004. Although a three-day bicycle tour covering around 160 miles might seem like the sort of thing only a seasoned athelete would want to try, Otto points to herself as a prime example that anybody can successfully ride in the tour from beginning to end.

%u201CI was a non-rider when this started, and I got a bike and did it the first year,%u201D Otto said. %u201CAnd if I can do it at the age of 50, anyone can do it.%u201D

The tour is not a race, but a friendly, family-oriented biking journey through the heart of North Dakota that encourages riders to go at their own pace and stop along the way if something interests them. To emphasize the point that literally anyone can ride in the tour, Otto said that last year the youngest rider was 8 while the oldest was 70, and the average age of the riders was 45.

Before she had heard about the idea of a bike tour, Otto had never considered riding as something she would do. But hindsight is always 20/20, and she now realizes that North Dakota has always been a perfect venue for this sort of activity.

%u201CIt%u2019s so obvious, you know? We have wide open spaces and great roads and great communities,%u201D she said. %u201CSo it%u2019s been good.%u201D

The tour covers anywhere from 50 to 75 miles each day, and is about 160 miles long this year. To ensure a relaxed atmosphere for everyone during the tour, rest stops are taken every 10 miles or so. This provides a break for riders who need to a chance to catch their breath, while other riders can forge ahead on their own if they want a more strenuous pace.

The route and the cities vary every year, with the one constant being that all of the roads on the route are paved. In the past, towns used for the overnight stops included Mohall, Kenmare, Bowbells, Sherwood, Upham and Lansford.

The tour is starting out in Kenmare this year, the first time it hasn%u2019t begun in Mohall. On the first day, the tour winds from Kenmare to Bowbells, then stops for the night in Stanley. On the second day, it will leave Stanley, go through Tioga and then end up in Powers Lake. For the final day, the tour will leave Powers Lake before ending back in Kenmare.

Although some tour participants spend their nights in motels or campers hauled by family or friends, most end up camping in a tent. A trailer provided by Bike the Border that also has portable shower facilities carries the camping equipment for all the riders who don%u2019t have any other means of transporting their gear.

The deadline for registration is June 10, although Otto says they accept applicants after that date if there are still openings. Registering for the full tour costs $75 for adults and $50 for children, or $200 for a family of three or more. For those who wish to ride only one or two of the days, the cost is $25 per day.

To register or find other information about the tour, go to the Web site (http://www.biketheborder.com/), send an e-mail to biketheborder@yahoo.com or call Barb Otto at 756-6298.

Word about the tour must be getting out, because it keeps growing every year. Otto said they had 78 riders last year, the most ever, and they are a little ahead of that pace so far this year.

For those who might be hesitant to give up their car for a bike, even if only for a day or two, Otto says they won%u2019t regret their decision once they try it.

%u201CJust don%u2019t be scared to try it,%u201D she said. %u201CWe%u2019re not experts by any means, and most of us ... don%u2019t have the most expensive bikes, but we have a really good time.%u201D

An undertaking with this many participants needs a lot of volunteers to make it work. Rory Schell, one of the owners of Val%u2019s Cyclery in Minot, has been helping since the very first year. Schell volunteers his mechanical skills during the tour by driving back and forth on the road during the day starting at 6 a.m. and fixing any bikes that break down. All the riders have to pay for are any parts that are needed.

Around 4 p.m., he opens up a makeshift bike shop and repairs or tunes bikes at his standard rates. He also sells biking-related items such as water bottles.

Schell says the system works exceptionally well, due in no small part to the riders.

%u201CThe thing is, the people that ride the bikes, they cooperate so well. They%u2019re out there having fun and they%u2019re patient,%u201D Schell said. %u201CSometimes you get two flats at one time and they%u2019re four miles apart ... and they wait patiently, and they%u2019re really good (about it). It makes it a lot more fun.%u201D

The relaxed nature of the tour gives riders a chance to really enjoy the beautiful North Dakota countryside, Schell said. Along with the wonderful view, he said, it%u2019s the local hospitality that really makes Bike the Border such a wonderful event.

He noted that riders will give free tubes or even free wheels, which can cost $40, to other riders who need them. He also mentioned one year in Bowbells when residents had signs up offering riders the use of showers in their homes while they were away at work. There were even candy dishes put out to give the riders an extra treat before they left. It%u2019s generosity like that people will only find in North Dakota.

%u201CYou%u2019re out there on the side of the road and need a helping hand, people will help you. If you have a problem, and you knock on a farmer%u2019s door, he%u2019ll help you. It%u2019s different than most (other) places, you know?%u201D he said. %u201CIt%u2019s unbelivable how if you need assistance, all the riders will take care of each other.%u201D